One Last Dance
by Sailor Donut
Summary: At the Yule Ball Goblet of Fire, Percy runs into Penelope and must cope with a difficult emotion: regret.


**One Last Dance** _  
Disclaimer: I do not own anything relating to Harry Potter, that is JK Rowling's job. Also, several of Percy's ranty-rants came straight out of Goblet of Fire, so I can't take credit for those, either. :-( And "You Belong to Me"--DEAN MARTIN! Yay!_   
  
He made a point of trying to avoid her from the moment he set foot on the grounds that evening. So, naturally, she was about the only person he saw during the entire Yule Ball.   
  
The second Penelope walked in with that...that..._man_, Percy's nerves went on edge. He looked away, pretending that he didn't see her. His eyes fell instead upon Harry Potter, who was approaching the head table with a disgruntled look on his face, accompanied by Parvati Patil, who was evidently reveling in the attention that being one of the champions' dates entailed. A sudden idea struck Percy as he remembered the champions were supposed to sit at the table with the judges. He forced a look of confident smugness onto his face, and drew out the empty chair next to himself, gesturing for Harry to sit there. As Harry settled into his seat, Percy's eyes flitted to Penelope. She was sitting rather close to the top table. Perfect.   
  
"I've been promoted," Percy loudly announced to Harry before Harry could say a word. A quick glance in Penelope's direction told Percy that he had succeeded in his mission; Penelope had a very shocked expression on her face. "I'm now Mr. Crouch's personal assistant, and I'm here representing him."   
  
"Why didn't he come?" Harry asked, an odd expression on his face, as though he had recently swallowed poison.   
  
"I'm afraid to say that Mr. Crouch isn't well, not well at all. Hasn't been right since the World Cup. Hardly surprising–overwork. He's not as young as he was–though still quite brilliant, of course, the mind remains as great as it ever was. But the World Cup was a fiasco for the whole Ministry, and then, Mr. Crouch suffered a huge personal shock with the misbehavior of that house- elf of his, Binky or whatever she was called. Naturally, he dismissed her immediately afterward, but–well, as I say, he's getting on, he needs looking after, and I think he's found a definite drop in his home comforts since she left. And then we had the tournament to arrange, and the aftermath of the Cup to deal with–that revolting Skeeter woman buzzing around–no, poor man, he's having a well-earned, quiet Christmas. I'm just glad he knew he had someone he could rely on to take his place."   
  
When Percy had finished, Harry had a very empty expression on his face, and Percy suspected about halfway through that Harry had stopped listening, but Percy could really care less. All that mattered to Percy for that night was that he avoid Penelope and convey to her at the same time that he was much better off without her, which that speech to Harry should have definitely achieved.   
  
Or not. Percy glanced back at the nearby table and saw Penelope deeply immersed in conversation with that _person_. He looked once more to Harry, but by now Harry was absorbed with watching Viktor Krum and his date, who, Percy realized after staring at her for a minute or two, was none other than Hermione Granger, who had obviously matured since the last time Percy had seen her. Not to mention lost the buck teeth and bushy hair.   
  
Percy emitted a large sigh and he resigned himself to observing all the other couples. He saw Fred and George jabbering excitedly to their dates, whom Percy recognized to be other members of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. _Probably telling them all about 'Weasley's Wizard Wheezes,'_ Percy thought disdainfully. _Ton-Tongue Toffees and other such nonsense._ A few tables to the left, Ginny, who looked quite stunning in robes of emerald green, was sitting politely and smiling while Neville Longbottom chattered to her. Finally, Percy spotted Ron, and was startled to see that not only had he apparently maimed his dress robes with a poorly performed Severing Charm, but was glaring daggers in Hermione's direction while his own date sneered at him in contempt.   
  
Too soon, dinner ended, and the dancing began. The champions and their dates began the dance, and then everyone else moved to join them. Percy stared at his fingernails intently, pretending to be inspecting them for dirt, so that he wouldn't have to look at Penelope dancing with that man. But try as he might to push the thoughts out of his head, they kept creeping back in: feelings of regret, of stupidity, of loneliness.   
  
_What was I thinking? I must have been a complete idiot to send her that letter,_ a voice said in the back of Percy's head. He tried to stifle it. _Don't be ridiculous, he told himself. It was the only sensible thing to do. You had to keep hers and your own best interests in mind._ But on the other hand, how could something that brought so much pain be in one's best interests?   
  
He had been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't realized how much time had passed. All of the other officials had risen to dance, leaving Percy all alone at the top table. His eyes darted around the Great Hall and fell on Penelope, who was siting alone at her own table. Her date was nowhere to be seen. Their eyes met for an instant; then Penelope rose and started over to Percy's table.   
  
Percy felt as though an icy hand was squeezing all the air out of his lungs. He panicked, and, pretending he hadn't seen her, bustled casually over to where Ron was sitting and talking to Viktor Krum in a particularly nasty tone of voice.   
  
"Made friends with Viktor Krum, have you Ron?" Percy said, though he knew very well that from the looks of things Ron had more than likely made lethal enemies with the surly Bulgarian. "Excellent! That's the whole point, you know–international magical cooperation."   
  
Harry had the odd expression on his face once more, and Ron looked as though he were about to shout at Percy to beat it, but Percy couldn't be bothered with that right now–Penelope was standing dangerously nearby, looking as though she was debating whether she should approach Ron in front of his youngest brother. Percy searched frantically for another escape route. His eyes fell on Fred and George, who were accosting Ludo Bagman, head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports for the Ministry of Magic.   
  
Now, Ron and Harry knew that Percy didn't care for Bagman. That's why they had expressions of slight confusion on their faces when Percy hissed, "What do they think they're doing, annoying senior Ministry members? _No_ respect..."   
  
Percy didn't know whether he should have felt relieved or irritated when Bagman headed over to their table. Sure, that would waylay Penelope, but now he'd actually have to talk to that bumbling. . ."I hope my brothers weren't bothering you, Mr. Bagman!" he said at once.   
  
"What? Oh, not at all, not at all!" said Bagman. "No, they were just telling me a bit more about those fake wands of theirs. Wondering if I could advise them on marketing. I've promised to put them in touch with a couple of contacts of mine at Zonko's Joke Shop."   
  
Percy's eyes bulged, and he momentarily forgot all about Penelope. _Fred and George selling those awful wands to the public?! They're a menace, how can I be related to them???_ Then Percy's senses returned and, glancing at Penelope, who was now chewing on her fingers, spit out, "How do you feel the tournament's going, Mr. Bagman? Our department's quite satisfied–the hitch with the Goblet of Fire"–he glanced at Harry–"was a little misfortunate, of course, but it seems to have gone very smoothly since, don't you think?"   
  
"Oh yes," Bagman said cheerfully. "It's all been enormous fun. How's old Barty doing? Shame he couldn't come."   
  
_Yes. An immense pity. If he were here, I wouldn't be._ "Oh, I'm sure Mr. Crouch will be up and about in no time," Percy said, filling his voice with self-importance. "But in the meantime, I'm more than willing to take up the slack. Of course, it's not all attending balls." He laughed airily, wishing whole-heartedly that none of it had involved attending balls. "Oh, no, I've had to deal with all sorts of things in Mr. Crouch's absence. You heard Ali Bashir was caught smuggling a consignment of flying carpets into the country? And then we've been trying to persuade the Transylvanians to sign the International Ban on Dueling. I've got a meeting with their Head of Magical cooperation in the new year, so I'll be spending the rest of my Christmas holidays readying myself for that conference. Busy times at the Ministry, yes indeed."   
  
Halfway through Percy's speech, Harry and Ron had wandered off, and by now Bagman's eyes were glazed over. "Um, yes, well, that's good Weatherby, er, Weasley," he was now saying. "But I'm afraid I have to go see to the other guests." With that, he scuttled off, leaving Percy alone with his guilt.   
  
His eyes roamed the Grand Hall, searching for Penelope. At last, he spotted her, sitting at a table near the back. She appeared to be crying. _Oh, no,_ Percy thought, overwhelmed with remorse. _I made her cry. I've never made her cry before. What kind of heartless monster am I?_ The more he looked at her, the more broken-hearted he felt. Finally, he gave into his conscience. As hard as it would be, he had to go talk to her.   
  
Stiffening his resolve, Percy headed over to where Penelope was sitting. He had been right; she was crying. Bracing himself, Percy laid a hand on Penelope's shoulder. She started a bit, and, eyes wide, looked up at him. "Percy?" she said, sniffling. "_Go away_." The fire was still burning in her eyes, Percy observed, feeling a strange combination of nostalgia and regret.   
  
"Penny, we need to talk," he said softly.   
  
"Oh, so NOW you want to talk?" Penelope snapped. "There's nothing that needs to be said, Percy. You win. You've proven to me that you're much better off without me, so do me a favor and stop rubbing salt in the wound!"   
  
Percy flinched. "Penny, you know that's not true. You know I'm not better off without you."   
  
"Oh, I do, do I?" she snarled, arching a brow. "Could have fooled me!"   
  
Percy, sighed and they sat in silence for a while; he gazed at her while she deliberately looked away from him. After a minutes, Percy asked, "Penny, do you want to dance?"   
  
"No."   
  
"Oh, come on, Penny," Percy gently pleaded. "One last dance. For old times' sake. We need to get this sorted out."   
  
Penelope groaned. "Oh, all right."   
  
The band that was playing, the Weird Sisters, paused at that time to announce that they would be taking requests. Percy smiled. "Wouldn't it be funny if they played 'You Belong to Me'?" he said. Penelope scowled. Obviously she didn't think it would be funny. "I doubt they'd know it though," Percy continued. "Most wizarding bands don't know Muggle songs, especially ones that are so old."   
  
The band started playing a slow song. Percy stopped in his tracks. . .it was as if they had read his mind. "Oh, no, no, no," Penelope said, turning on her heels and heading back toward her seat. "I am not dancing with you during this song."   
  
Percy caught her arm. "Come on, Penny, this is our song!"he protested.   
  
"I know! That's why I'm leaving!" Penelope retorted. But Percy wouldn't give, so finally Penelope surrendered and walked sullenly onto the dance floor with him. Percy sighed. Holding Penelope like this again was like coming back home. But there was still the guilt, the awkwardness, the emptiness. Penelope still wouldn't look him in the eye and was trembling violently.   
  
Percy struggled to find something to say. "Who are you here with?" he asked, instantly regretting it.   
  
"Sean Connolly," she said drily. "He's the Head Boy this year." Percy forced a strained smile onto his face. "Don't worry, percy," she said, rolling her eyes. "He can barely stomach me even as a friend. He just wanted to get here so he could go after that Fleur Delacour from Beauxbatons," she said bitterly.   
  
Percy tried to think of something to say, but his tongue was tied. He sighed and listened to the music drifting lazily throughout the Hall, remembering the first time he and Penny had danced to this song. It had been playing on that Muggle radio-thing that his father had brought home to tinker with. Penelope had bee quite excited; since her parents were Muggles, they evidently listened to this sort of thing all the time. It was hard now, in such rough times, to remember how happy they had been not so long ago.   
  
"I didn't make Head Girl, Percy," Penelope said softly, breaking the silence.   
  
Percy bit his lip. "I know," he replied somberly. "Ginny told me."   
  
"I found out the day before I got your letter," she said. Her eyes were welling up with tears, but still she wouldn't look at him. "I was going to write and tell you. It hurt, but I thought that it wasn't so bad; after all, you had just got that job at the Ministry, an I was so proud of you. I thought, who needs Head Girl? I still have Percy. I'm sure whoever got it needed a boost more than someone like me." She took a deep breath and tried to blink the tears away. "Seems rather pointless, doesn't it? Two whole years. Maybe if I hadn't spent as much time with you, I would have been Head Girl this year. But, we can't change the past, can we? And now I have nothing." She broke down at last. Percy took a ragged breath and pulled her into his arms. She sobbed into his shoulder and he wanted to die right then and there. Over her sobs, he could hear the song ending.   


_Just remember when a dream appears   
You belong to me. . ._

As Penelope collected herself, Percy guided her out to the garden outside and they sat on a bench, surrounded by sparkling fairy lights. "You all right?" Percy asked after a few minutes, his arm around her shoulder to keep her warm in the snowy darkness.   
  
"I'll be better when you leave," she said, sniffling and delicately rubbing her red eyes.   
  
"I'm not going anywhere until we work this out, Penny," he said sternly. "Seeing you like this is killing me. I love you, Penny, I can't stand to see you upset."   
  
Penelope looked at Percy in shock. "You love me? Excuse me, did you just say that you LOVE me?" she choked.   
  
"Of course I do, I never stopped loving you," he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.   
  
"Oh, well excuse me for not being clairvoyant enough to read your mind," Penelope said mockingly. "When one receives a letter that says, 'I think it would be best for both of us that we not see each other anymore,' one usually thinks either 'He's got another girl,' or, 'He just can't stand me anymore,' which is usually spot on! And I thought both! Believe me, that last thing I was expecting you to say was, 'I never stopped loving you.'"   
  
"It's true," Percy said, feeling quite silly right now.   
  
"Then what on Earth was that letter for?" Penny demanded, her voice rising in volume.   
  
"Well, it's going to sound rather stupid under the circumstances," Percy admitted, his ears going red. "It's just that. . .well, I thought that since it was your last year, and since I was going to be busy at the Ministry, we wouldn't be seeing much of each other." He shrugged. "So I thought that it would be better if we broke up. That way, if there was someone else you wanted to be with, or vice versa, than you wouldn't be bound to someone that you never see."   
  
Penelope arched a brow. "You're right. That does sound stupid. Very stupid."   
  
Percy looked down at his feet. "Yeah, I suppose so."   
  
"I mean, have you been interested in any other girls?" Penelope continued. Percy adamantly shook his head. "And I haven't been interested in any other boys," she said. "So basically, we just spent five or six months missing each other for no reason."   
  
"Pretty silly, isn't it?" Percy said, still looking at his feet, his ears as red as his flaming hair.   
  
"Yes, I'd say so," Penelope said, the first sign of a grin appearing on her face.   
  
"Penny, I'm sorry." He turned to her and saw her face alight with a beaming smile. "Do you think. . .we should. . .give it another try?" he asked, struggling for a way to say it right.   
  
"Yes, I do, Darling." Still smiling, she leaned over and kissed him.   
  
Percy felt as though a giant weight had been lifted off his chest. _Darling,_ he thought happily. _After all these months, she still cares about me._ He held her close, and they remained that way for a very long time, until the fairy lights faded away and the evening was over. 


End file.
